Kevin Mitchell’s report is here.
Flushing Meadows fell a little quiet when Nadal left, but now they’re showering the popular Del Potro with love. He’s a deserving finalist, and will give either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori something serious to think about come Sunday. On which subject, you’d best race over to say hello to Bryan Armen Graham, who will be in the big chair for the second men’s semi. Congratulations to the magnificent Juan Martin del Potro, commiserations to the stricken Rafael Nadal, and thanks to everyone for reading. Nighty night, and sweet dreams!
But the extremely likeable and exceptionally talented Juan Martin del Potro deserves to reach the final. It’s not the way he’d have wanted to get through, but take no gloss off a fine performance. He was simply magnificent this evening. “Well it is not the best way to win a match. I love to play against Rafa because he is the biggest fighter, I don’t like to see him suffer and I am saddened for him. But anyway the key of the match was the first set, we both played good tennis and I did well in the tie-break. I am so happy to be in the final again. It means a lot to me, I didn’t expect to get into another grand-slam final. This is my favourite tournament, and my biggest memories are here in 2009. But I was a kid, and now I am much older.”
Nadal retires
Nadal calls the trainer down again. A quick word. His head drops and he puts his racquet back in his bag. He then gives the umpire the word ... he can’t continue. He retires and embraces del Potro. The pair chat awhile as a distressed Nadal explains his predicament. It’s a bittersweet moment. Nadal takes his leave, the Arthur Ashe Stadium stunned into silence for a second, before giving the exiting hero the ovation he deserves. Such a shame.
Del Potro wins the second set 6-2 and leads 2-0
Nadal* 6-7, 2-6 del Potro. Nadal is serving to stay in the second set. He goes 30-0 up quickly enough, but then three unforced errors in a row gifts del Potro a set point. Nadal saves it by charging the net, forcing del Potro to send a forehand wide right. But he flaps another shot into the net, and it’s a second set point. Del Potro flashes a forehand past him, and it’s the second set to Del Potro.
Nadal 6-7, 2-5 del Potro*. Nadal isn’t just playing with an injured knee; his movement’s also hampered by Black Dog, who has sunk his teeth into his Aris and isn’t letting go. He is fuming. Eyebrows at 45 degrees. Not sure whether he’s annoyed with himself, his injury, or that argument over the mid-rally call. But he’s not in a good place right now. Del Potro wins an easy service game to love.
Nadal* 6-7, 2-4 del Potro. Nadal was in a deep funk during the changeover, staring into space, frowning, brooding. His mood’s not helped when a ball’s called out mid-rally, but it’s ignored, the point continues and Nadal sends one wide. Break point. He walks up to the umpire, furious, wagging his finger. During an emotional rant, he utters a sentence which has the word “retire” in it. Oh no. The good news: he continues playing, and holds his serve. Here’s hoping he’s good to continue.
Updated
Nadal 6-7, 1-4 del Potro*. But then del Potro makes his 18th unforced error of the match so far, flapping a weak forehand into the net. He’s in trouble at 0-30. But he moves Nadal around in a couple of rallies, clawing it back to 30-30. Nadal hollers in agony as he slides towards a ball far out to the left; is it the knee, or simply frustration that he couldn’t reach it? Two points later, and that’s a big hold for del Potro, who dug in brilliantly and sent a gingerly moving Nadal hither and yon.
Nadal* 6-7, 1-3 del Potro. Nadal’s back up and about ... and immediately sent scampering around by del Potro, who dinks a cute one over the net. Del Potro, sensing that it’s time to strike, quickly goes 0-40 up, wheeching a backhand pass down the left sideline. Three break points. Nadal responds with a screaming passing shot of his own, then Delpo nets weakly. But Nadal can’t escape again. He hoicks long, and the 2009 champ is a set and a break up on the three-time winner.
Nadal takes a medical time-out. The defending champion is getting his right knee taped up again. He doesn’t look particularly happy, grimacing in pain as the trainer loops the tape around his tendon. The trainer gives him a good, hard massage, then applies some sort of spray on the knee. Here’s hoping he’s good to continue. And a thought for del Potro, too; he’s on top right now, and won’t want to lose his mojo waiting around.
Nadal 6-7, 1-2 del Potro*. An easy hold to love for the big man.
Nadal* 6-7, 1-1 del Potro. Nadal charges the net, but del Potro zips a magnificent backhand down the right sideline. Then a long rally is won by the big man, with a stunning whip down the left. Then a simply outrageous point for del Potro, who crashes a cross-court forehand that rocks Nadal back on his heels; Nadal recovers and looks to have won it with a delicate drop shot, but del Potro gathers then volleys to earn a couple of break points. Nadal is the dictionary definition of tenacious, though, and suddenly shifts up a gear, winning four points in a row to hold. Del Potro threw everything at him then, but he escaped with the game. Del Potro will be annoyed at passing up an opportunity for another break, but at least he’s making plenty of chances. Both players have won 47 points so far.
Nadal 6-7, 0-1 del Potro*. Del Potro takes control of a couple of rallies, moving Nadal this way and that. Perhaps trying to test his movement, Nadal having swathed his knee in tape earlier on. He goes 40-15 up. But Nadal wakes up, winning one point with a glorious passing shot, then digging out a defensive return that surprises Delpo at the net. But a see-saw game ends in style, as del Potro follows up a big serve with a delicious drop shot that beats Nadal all ends up. Del Potro starts the second set with a hold.
Del Potro won that tie-break with ease. That’s some performance, because he looked a broken man for a while back there, having passed up two glorious opportunities to serve the set out at 5-4. Had he gone on to lose the set, it could have been hard coming back. But he bounces off beaming, a mixture of jubilation and relief. Nadal was strangely uncompetitive during the tie-break.
Del Potro wins the first set 7-6
Nadal 6-7 del Potro. Del Potro goes a mini-break up as a netcord sends Nadal’s ball out. Delpo wins his first service point to go 2-0 up. Nadal gets the mini-break back with a stunning cross-court two-handed backhand. But then loses it again as del Potro crashes a big forehand to the left-hand corner; Nadal can’t return. Then Nadal gets the benefit of a net cord, a drop shot nearly going wrong but toppling over the net. It’s 3-2 to Delpo, who has a mini-break in his pocket. Then 4-2, as Nadal is inches long with an outrageous lob. And then 5-2, a huge serve setting up a powerful forehand Nadal can’t reach. Nadal needs to hold onto his two service points. But he misses an empty deuce court with a forehand and Delpo has his third set point at 6-3. Nadal flashes a forehand into the net, and a 69-minute first set goes to the 2009 champ!
Nadal 6-6 del Potro*. Farcical scenes as del Potro hits a big serve and stops playing as Nadal whistles it back past his lugs. Delpo thought his serve was out, so challenges. It’s in, and he loses the point. A sign of a head addled by those squandered set points. It nearly costs him, too: serving at 40-30, a good serve’s called out ... and he’s got no challenges left! But he pulls himself together at the death, and this first set is going to a tie-break.
Nadal* 6-5 del Potro. Having been broken, del Potro looks broken. His shoulders are slumping, his feet are dragging. Nadal eases through his service game to love.
Nadal 5-5 del Potro*. Nadal missed a couple of forehands in that last game, which may explain why he threw his water bottle in irritation as he got back to his chair. He takes the tape off his knee. And goes out to put del Potro under some pressure, racing to a 15-30 lead. But del Potro sends a huge kicker of a serve out right, dispatching Nadal’s desperate return at the net. Another big serve and he’s got set point. Which he should convert, but he tightens up and sends an easy cross-court winner out on the left. Deuce. Then another set point - which he slaps into the net! If Nadal nicks this game, it will kill del Potro. Del Potro hoicks another one wide ... then flaps one into the net to hand the break straight back! Two set points have come and gone; del Potro visibly tightened in the clutch. That was dreadful.
Nadal* 4-5 del Potro. So having said that, del Potro suddenly finds top gear - in the middle of a long rally, pressing Nadal back - and breaks again! He seals the deal with a crashing forehand down the right; Nadal can only whip a return lamely into the net. And now the big man will serve for the first set!
Nadal 4-4 del Potro*. A busy pit-stop for Nadal, who asks for one of his racquets to be restrung, and gets his right knee taped up. He doesn’t seem to be in too much discomfort as he wins a 14-shot rally. But del Potro winds up his serve again and sees the game out. Strange to say of a match which has had two breaks of serve already, but this hasn’t quite taken off yet. A sprinkling of the spectacular, but neither player has hit top gear.
Nadal* 4-3 del Potro. Del Potro asks a serious question of Nadal, sending a 101mph forehand to the corner. But Nadal somehow returns, and del Potro hoicks long. Another easy hold for Nadal.
Nadal 3-3 del Potro*. Nadal races into a 0-30 lead, forcing a mistake during a grinding rally, then benefiting from a del Potro forehand that loses a battle with the net cord. But then Delpo gets his first serve going. Four points in a row to win the game, the last a rare victory in a baseline rally.
Nadal* 3-2 del Potro. An easy hold for Nadal, who wraps up the game with a good old-fashioned serve-and-volley point.
Nadal 2-2 del Potro*. Del Potro, playing in Australian gold, teases Nadal towards the net, then sends a screamer along the left sideline. Then he flirts with trouble, a couple of unforced errors giving Nadal a 15-30 lead. But some big serving digs him out of a hole. He holds his serve for the first time.
Nadal* 2-1 del Potro. Nadal sends a forehand down the sideline, the ball swerving into the right-hand corner and kicking wide, leaving del Potro no chance of a return. That ball was doing all sorts in the air; outrageous skill. It sets him on his way to the first service hold of the match.
Nadal 1-1 del Potro*. Del Potro charges the net, and engages Nadal in some rat-a-tat volleying. Nadal wins the point by whipping the ball across del Potro and through the deuce court. Nadal earns two break points, and he only needs one. An immediate break back! A couple of unforced errors by del Potro in that game, a forehand ballooned long, another slapped wide left.
Nadal* 0-1 del Potro. A shaky start by Nadal, who nets a couple of weak forehands. Then a lengthy rally. It looks as though del Potro is in charge, but a weak approach is returned down the line by Nadal. A fizzer. But Nadal flays a loose shot wide during the next rally, and del Potro has a couple of early break points. Nadal saves the first with an outrageous drop shot, but comes off second-best in a lengthy rally, and the big Argentinian has an early break!
Juan Martin del Potro: A Class Act (pt II in a continuing series): Before he got togged up to play, he was pictured out front talking to a bunch of fans in Argentina soccer shirts. All were singing, some were bouncing, most were chugging tinnies of delicious alcoholic lager beer. Every one of them got a hug from their hero. Anyway, over to the umpire: “Take your seats, please, ladies and gentlemen. First set, Rafael Nadal to serve. Ready ... thank you ... play!”
The players are on the court! The denizens of the Arthur Ashe Stadium give both men a huge reception; maybe the defending champ gets a little bit more love. But these are two popular players. That’s because they’re so damn nice: Nadal says in his pre-match interview that he’ll have to play his best tennis to beat an opponent he respects greatly, while del Potro bridles at the word “rivalry”, which sounds way too aggressive and personal for his liking; he’s just playing tennis against a player he admires. True gents. Out on the court, del Potro wins the toss, calling heads correctly, and opts to receive. We’ll be off in a minute!
Preamble
It’s possible that this US Open men’s semi-final will be over in a couple of hours. Yes, it’s possible ... it’s just not very probable. Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro don’t half enjoy an epic, you see. Nadal has just spent four hours and 49 minutes seeing off Dominic Thiem; del Potro needed three-and-a-half hours to dispatch John Isner after four sets and two tie-breaks. And you may recall the pair meeting at Wimbledon earlier this summer; that clash took the best part of five hours to complete.
The defending champion Nadal is favourite to make it through to the final, holding as he does an 11-5 head-to-head lead over del Potro. He saw off the big Argentinian this year at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, as well as in the semis here at Flushing Meadows last year. But del Potro does have one crumb of comfort: he blasted Nadal off the court here in the 2009 semis, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, and went on to win the title, ending Roger Federer’s 40-match unbeaten run in the process.
So get comfy, it could be a long night. It’s the first men’s semi. It’s the 2009 winner versus the 2010, 2013 and 2017 champion. It’s a battle to face either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori in the final. It’s on!
